Bulgarian parliamentary polls underway

Sofia, April 4 : People across Bulgaria were casting their ballots on Sunday in the countrys parliamentary elections amid a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.Due to the raging health crisis, voting will be accompanied by many health regulations, while mobile ballot boxes will be provided for people who are in quarantine, reports dpa news agency.

A total of 6.7 million voters are eligible to elect 240 MPs for the National Assembly in Sofia.The election will decide whether Prime Minister Boiko Borissovs pro-European ruling party GERB will remain in power in the European Unions poorest country.

Last summer, there were street protests over allegations of corruption against the GERB coalition government which included the nationalists as junior partners.Observers predict that Sundays election result is likely to mirror opinion polls, which predict no outright winner.

GERB, which has ruled since 2017 in a coalition with nationalists as a junior partner, is expected to emerge as the strongest political force.The opposition, which accuses GERB of corruption, is likely to be divided between several parties, but the Socialists are forecast to become the second-strongest political power.Polling stations are open from 6 a.m.to 7 pm.Projections may only be published after polls close.Official final results can be expected within four days of the election.